Speech #1050139859

I think we have already expressed during the discussion of Senator REEDS amendment the actions we are taking there. In addition. the managers amendment. at the request of Senator KYL and the National Science Foundation. also makes some changes in the way the panel study in workforce issues is to be organized. It contains various technical fixes to address a paygo issue raised by the transfer of authority to process labor condition applications from the Department of Labor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It handles other technical corrections as well. Finally. it adds a prohibition. The Attorney General may not approve a petition for an H1B petition if he or she concludes that the petitioning employer is assisting in the development of Indias nuclear energy program or any other nation engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction. Obviously. a number of us in the Senate are concerned about the recent nuclear tests that have been conducted and the concern about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. and so we have given the Attorney General the power to intervene if she were to conclude that someone attempting to use an H1B visa would be somehow connected to a program of that sort. I also indicate I will be working with all interested Senatorsand a number of them have talked to usabout this to make sure these provisions are as effective as possible in preventing these visas from being used by anyone to assist in the development of weapons of mass destruction.